Not all fashion collections inspired by the creations of a famous artist work that well. Translating the actual paintings into prints, for example, sometimes turns into an unconvincing exercise as the works in question simply do not fit the silhouettes of the designs or the mood of a collection. This can't be said, though, about Paco Rabanne's S/S 22 collection inspired by Victor Vasarely and designed by the house's creative director Julien Dossena.
As you may remember from a previous post, in some cases Dossena printed Vasarely's artworks such as "Alom Violet/Yellow" (1975) or motifs that called to mind his "Planetary Folklore Participations No. 2" (1971) on fabrics or on a pliable chainmail material similar to oroton; in others, he reproduced Vasarely's optical illusions on intarsia knits and jacquards or broke the artworks into smaller pieces, squarish or rhombus mosaic tesserae that he then proceeded to chainmail together to form kinetic skirts and tunics.
These solutions produced an entirely new vocabulary for Rabanne, based on optical illusions and richly textured mathematically graduated geometrical grids that flattered the body. The collection wasn't merely inspired by Op Art, but it was made in collaboration with the Victor Vasarely Foundation.
The Corner Shop in Selfridges Oxford Street is currently taking things further with an exclusive event that will be on till the end of March. Entitled "Universe", the event offers the chance to rediscover Vasarely's artworks and shop Paco Rabanne's collection.
Born in Pécs, Hungary, in 1906, Vasarely first studied medicine at Budapest's Eötvös Loránd University’s School of Medicine and then opted to study art at the Poldini-Volkman Academy of Painting and later, at the Mühely School. Interested in science and strongly influenced by Piet Mondrian and Kazimir Malevich, he started developing his own style after he moved to Paris in 1930.
Vasarely's painting "Zebra" (1937) is usually considered as one of the first examples of Op Art and in the 1940s he created further optical paintings, works that influenced generations of artists and graphic designers. His best-known contributions to the design sphere include the Renault logo and the cover art for David Bowie's 1969 "Space Oddity".
Between 1973 and 1976 he built the Fondation Vasarely in Aix-en-Provence, France, conceived as a creative hub and a laboratory of ideas where a variety of disciplines could be studied - art, architecture and urbanism included. The Fondation was declared a historic monument in 2013 and a "Musée de France" since 2020. The artist was the subject of a retrospective at Paris' Centre Pompidou in 2019.
"Universe" features 55 works by Vasarely, from canvases to ceramics and tapestries (also the store windows are wrapped in the artist's geometric designs), among them also "Tilla" (1958), "Orion MC" (1963) and the "Vega" series.
There's waves, intersecting lines, and trippy spheres that swell before the visitors' eyes; abstract configurations, dizzying geometries, bold graphics, optical illusions that mimic depth, hypnotic and eye-bending tricks, and vibrant polychromatic grids.
Thirty-seven of the works (among them pieces and silkscreen prints that belonged to French collectors) are available for sale and the proceeds will go toward the restoration of monumental works at the Fondation Vasarely. This is, surprisingly, the first display of work by the late French-Hungarian artist in the United Kingdom in more than 50 years and it coincides with the 25th anniversary of his death.
The point of this event is not just to draw comparisons between art and fashion or just look at Vasarely's works cleverly displayed around an aluminium scaffolding set. The latter has a double purpose: it is functional since it allows to see several pieces within a contained space, but it is also symbolic as well, as aluminium was a favourite material of Rabanne and Vasarely, who designed the facade of his Foundation as a monumental optical artwork, comprising huge anodised aluminium plates decorated with geometrical motifs in black and white that reflect on the surface of a large pond (View this photo).
Fashionistas interested in Paco Rabanne's S/S 22 collection can check out the garments – including dresses, swimsuits and scarves – they may want to buy or rent (the British retailer has been working towards implementing its sustainability policies in the last few years to embrace more circular models), while visitors on a budget may want to shop the curated selection of more affordable products inspired by Vasarely and dedicated to art fans, including skateboards, Moleskine notebooks, tote bags, candles and cushions.
But that’s not all: to align with the latest trend for non-fungible tokens, 12 Vasarely NFTs were created by London-based NFT platform Substance. There's a sort of diversity as different works were chosen to be turned into NFTs, from sculptures in anodized aluminium to works on glass, tapestries, painted cardboard, ceramics.
The first batch went live three days ago; the remaining six will be available on March 12. Each NFT can be purchased over-the-counter at Selfridges (this is the first time it will be possible to buy NFTs with an ordinary bank card in a shop and this is also the first time for such a high-tech initiative for Selfridges) or online on Subtance's platform.
The price of the NFTs is high (from £2,000 to £100,000…) but proceeds from the sales will help fund the restoration of artworks at the Vasarely Foundation. The building features 42 monumental installations integrating a variety of materials to produce a kinetic visual play. Some of them must be restored and half of the NFTs available during the "Universe" exhibition reproduce the damaged works and will show the evolution of the future restoration.
Now, despite the fact that everybody seems to be joining in the crazy NFT trend, if there is an artist whose works may be turned into a non-fungible token and actually still make sense, it is Victor Vasarely, who would have probably liked this new medium as he liked innovative and interesting materials, such as enameled volcanic lava.
Selfridges calls the project a "multi-layered experience and creative collaboration", and you can surely analyse "Universe" from different points of view.
First and foremost, "Universe" makes you wonder why this is the first Vasarely exhibition in the UK in more than 50 years; the hybrid nature of this event, instead, prompts you to consider what may happen from now on to more traditional museums and art institutions.
"Universe" marks the first time that Vasarely has been exhibited in a department store, but this solution doesn't look as absurd or offensive as it may sound. While Selfridges is not a museum and this commercial space may not be considered as a proper location for museum purists, this event combines a gallery space with a retail space and innovative technologies as well (the NFTs), offering visitors the possibility to admire artworks and fashion designs or invest in art pieces or in a new wardrobe.
Many museums suffered from Covid closures while retailers prospered selling online, so museums on the lookout for new visitors may have to develop a different strategic approach to sell themselves and their collections. We have already seen in a previous post how some auction houses have developed a better relation with consumers than museums, providing engaging contents on their sites, videos and information on lots on auction that make you feel like you're in a museum, expanding your knowledge and filling your eyes with beauty.
Sure, we may not be able to see archaeological finds in a retail environment in the near future, but blurring the boundaries between more institutional spaces and commercial ventures (after all, there have already been runways inside museums - Chanel Métiers d'Art 2018/19 at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York anybody?) may help quite a few institutions out there, especially those ones that are still trying to figure out how to face the challenges of operating in a post-pandemic future.
As for the Vasarely NFTs, in a way it makes more sense buying them than the Bored Ape ones - the former are still iconic, visually enticing and, well, cleverly done (originally Vasarely did his work by hand…could you imagine the level of skills and precision?); the latter is just another expression of our times, a modern example of mediocre hyped up art.
Victory for Vasarely then. As for museums and art galleries, the time may have come to organise compact exhibitions that visitors can enjoy in quick bites in collaboration with clever commercial partner (without selling themselves out...). As much as this may sound repugnant and abhorrent to museum purists, it may save many cultural institutions in crisis.
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